Pearl Millet

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), or mahangu as it is locally known, is the most widely grown millet variety globally, and Namibia’s most important staple food. It is the world’s sixth most important crop. It is especially important in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa where the crop is preferred due to a short growing season, high productivity and tolerance to dry, high-temperature conditions.

Millet is not a single grain, but a collective name for a variety of different small-seed grains from several different genera of the grass family Poaceae. Four varieties make up the bulk of the world’s production. These are: Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) and finger millet (Eleusine coracana). The iconic east African crop teff (Eragrostis tef) is a close relative.

Millet was domesticated in the western part of the Sahel region of West Africa dating back some 3 500 years. From here, the crop spread to India where its cultivation dates back 2 300 years.

Finger millet originated in East Africa and found its way to India by 1 800 BCE. Today, India is the world’s largest producer of pearl millet.

Pearl millet is well-adapted to the semi-arid, less fertile agricultural regions of Africa and is more reliable than any other crop under these conditions. The crops also respond well to irrigation and soil supplements. Hybrid varieties are bred to improve disease resistance and increase yield productivity. One hybrid variety that is used locally is Okashana 1. This variety was developed in India from a natural-growing variety from Burkina Faso, and doubled yields. Okashana 1 is now also used in Chad, Mauritania and Benin.

Millet is eaten the world over. It is thus part of very different national cuisines such as Russian, German and Chinese. Before rice became the dominant crop in Asia, it was millet that was the staple.

Perhaps the most popular way to eat millet is as a porridge. Both sweet and savoury options are popular. Sweet dishes often include honey or syrup and fruit. Savoury versions are eaten with stews and sauces. Given that millet is gluten-free, it is not suited as an ingredient for bread-making, unless it is combined with additional gluten-containing flour or additional gluten is added.

Where millet is used in bread, it takes the form of flatbread such as rotis from parts of India (combining sorghum and millet) or the injera bread from Ethiopia (made with teff). It is also a common ingredient in seeded bread.

Oshikundu is a popular local non-alcoholic beverage made from water, mahangu and sorghum in the north-central regions of Namibia. After the omahangu has been decorticated with a pestle and mortar, the bran is removed by sieving. The grains are soaked in water for up to 24 hours before being pounded into a meal (a coarser form of flour). The sorghum is buried in soil and watered by hand to allow it to germinate (in brewing terms, this process is called ‘malting’). The soil is removed by sieving before the malted sorghum is pounded into a coarser meal.

The oshikundu is brewed by adding boiling water to the omahangu meal and letting it cool to room temperature before adding the malted sorghum. The malted sorghum not only adds flavour, but also contains enzymes that are crucial for the fermentation process.

Omahangu bran is added to provide colour and cold water is added to dilute the wort. Left-over oshikundu from a previous batch is added to kickstart the fermentation (a process known as backslopping) and the mixture is covered and left to ferment for up to eight hours.

Although omahangu meal is available in the retail market, the true commercial potential of the crop and ingredient seems to be underexplored. It is also not a popular food item in the restaurant and hospitality industries. This is somewhat perplexing, seeing that it is the staple food for a large segment of the Namibian population. One would assume that this would qualify it to be showcased.

For this recipe, I took inspiration from the injera bread of Ethiopia. It takes time to produce a sourdough starter if you do not already have one, but it is well worth it. There is much more that can be done with millet than merely eating it as porridge.

Happy fermenting!

• 1 cup bubbly sourdough

• 2 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water

• 1 cup wholewheat flour

• 1 cup mahangu flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• Vegetable oil, for coating pan

Add the sourdough, water and flour to a large bowl and mix very well. The mixture should have the consistency of pancake batter. Cover with a cloth and leave outside to ferment for 24 hours. Stir often.

Add the salt and baking soda just before you make the bread. Stir very well. Transfer the mixture to a measuring jug or some other container with a spout. This makes it easier to pour the batter.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron pan over medium heat and brush with a little vegetable oil. Pour a thin layer of batter into the pan with a circular motion. Start on the outside and work your way toward the centre until the bottom of the pan is covered. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook until the top of the bread is dry. This should take only three to four minutes, depending on how thick you poured the batter. The bread is cooked on one side only, so there is no need to turn it.

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